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Saddle Fitting

Saddle Fit Shopping Worksheet

English Saddle Fit Review Worksheet

Western Saddle Fit Review Worksheet

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Email your horse photos to: horseyhabit@yahoo.com

PLEASE NOTE:
HORSEY HABIT IS NO LONGER SELLING SADDLES OR OFFERING SADDLE FITTING SERVICES.We are leaving this information available on our website for customers to reference as they shop our saddle liquidation sale. As of November 11th 2018 we have made the announcement that we will no longer be offering saddles in our retail store. Remaining inventory is being sold as non-returnable cash and carry liquidation. Prices will be reduced periodically to help move these saddles out of the store in a timely manner. You can click this link to our remaining saddle inventory, and we will update daily. You can also read our press release to our customers here to learn more about our decision. If you have any questions, please reach out to Michelle directly at michelle@horseyhabit.com with your questions.

Horsey Habit offers two levels of saddle fitting services:

Shop for a saddle via in-person live horse fittings at our retail store. This is our most comprehensive service, and offers the best possible outcome for both horse and rider. You make an appointment in advance, and you are welcome to bring multiple horses to be fit simultaneously. A saddle fitting specialist with an area of expertise that matches your needs will be paired with you for your session. This fitter will stay with you for the duration of your fit, and follow up with you after the sale. If you bring multiple horses you will have a fitter assigned to each horse so the fittings can happen simultaneously. There is a fee of $75 for each horse you bring. Often you will have two or three fitters come together to collaborate on tougher horses, and to answer questions. It is an amazing learning experience that you won't soon forget.

In Store saddle fitting working from a wither tracing and photos. The service is offered at no charge to the customer, and is still a personalized in house fitting session for the rider. We typically have 2 saddle fitters working daily, more for special sale dates. We will choose the best fitter available for your particular discipline, and you will work with your sales person for the duration of the session.

Both of our fitting opportunities come with follow up support after the sale. We recommended that you send us a specific battery of photos for us to review and comment on including photos of the new saddle on your horse's back and dirty saddle pad photos for evaluation. Often we can fine tune the fit remotely, and help you with ways to improve the foundation we have started from. Occasionally we have requests to travel to farms to fit horses at their home barns. We recognize that some customers don't have the means to travel with their horses, and others need more help than what our in-store saddle fitting offers them. At this time we are unable to travel to barns, but are considering these services as an area for growth in the future. We also get requests to check saddles that you already own on your horses. Saddle fits are only available for people shopping for saddles. We don't offer fitting services to check saddles you currently own.

SADDLE FITTING PROCESS.

How it works:

We always use the following rules. Buy for the intended purpose first. Buy for the horse second. Buy for the rider third. Don't spend more than you can afford, and don't go out of order. It's that simple.

Intended purpose.

If you are trail riding you need a trail saddle, not a roper. Why would I sell you a bulldozer if you asked for an economical car? Saddles are designed to do a particular job well, and we really need to consider that if we are going to get you a practically priced option with all the features you want.

Fit for the horse.

We can only evaluate YOUR horse if we know a little about him. We will need some basic information to work with to do our job right. If you bring us accurate information, we will be able to give you an accurate fit. If you bring us sketchy information, or just verbally share a description, we are not going to be able to be as accurate with our options. Two things help us more than anything else.

A tracing of the withers. Bend a wire two inches behind the shoulder blade, and trace it on a piece of paper. Try to make left or right on the tracing. It will help us to know which half of the wire was on a specific shoulder of the horse for later. We recommend you use copper electrical wire, or lead solder wire, or an art flexi-curve. Coat hangers don't bend well, and are not accurate. Try to find something more soft and flexible. Bring a marker and a paper bag to the barn with you. When you bend the wire over his back, trace it right away on the bag. If you bring the wire to the store, they are almost always distorted to the point we can't use them. To save time, and avoid doing the tracing again please trace your wire when you take the measurement.

Bring a few good photos of your horse. We need two or three good photos of your horse from the side. We would like to see both sides of your horse. We need his head up, and he must be standing on a reasonably level surface. He has to be naked; we can't see thorough blankets or saddles. We also like to have one good shot from behind. If you stand on a mounting block or stool about three feet behind your horse, look down and take a shot focusing on his wither.

You are welcome to bring as much information as you like. We will evaluate everything you bring for us. Photos can be emailed in advance. Some customers want to bring us saddles that fit their horse well, and ask us to use that as a reference. Another saddle can offer us some clues, bit is it no substitute for a good withers tracing and photo group.

Fit for the rider.

When we have a good idea of what you want to do, and what shapes will work for your horse, we will then spend some time getting it right for you. Although you are last on the list, it is a hobby and you have to be comfortable with your purchase. We know that women don't always speak up on their own behalf as often as they should, and we really need to know that you are totally happy with what we have found for you. We also know that a lot of women are not all that confident in their horsemanship skills, and what we put you in will help or hinder your efforts. We will spend some time on your strengths and weaknesses as well as the basics of "comfort" to see that you get a well-rounded package that will assist your goals and build your confidence levels.

We will help you find two or three options to choose from. You will pick one that you want to purchase. After payment we send you home for a 7 day test fit and test ride. Normally customers will follow up with photos of the saddles on their horse so we can help evaluate the fit. *insert some photos here

Sometimes we will see things that need to change for the horse, and sometimes the rider has requests for improvements as well. Often we will go back, add the new information learned, and choose a second saddle to test fit/test ride. Sometimes fine-tuning the fit is as simple as adjusting the pads or girth location, but in some cases a second saddle is necessary. We do allow horses to come to the store for personalized fitting. We require an appointment in advance and there is a charge for this service. If you know your horse is a difficult fit or an unusually sensitive animal, or you know that you want a higher level of accuracy for your horse, we invite you to take advantage of our personalized fitting.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT A SADDLE FITTING.

What to expect:

Expect to be overwhelmed with new information. We are going to ask a lot of questions, and we are really going to get you thinking about your horse's health and happiness. A typical fitting can take 1-2 hours when you bring us information and closer to three hours when you bring your horse.

We promise to work with you budget, and only go outside of those limits with good reason. Typically this means that we can't find a saddle in your price range without "deal breakers" for the horse and rider. If we have to expand the search we do it carefully, and with your permission. We promise to be brutally honest. We want you to know exactly what we are thinking. You are relying on our experience and expertise, and if we hold back important observations you will not have a full battery of information to make your decisions from. Our candor will really help you understand what the best options are for both of you.

When you go home things are going to be different. When we have a horse with pressure points on his back from a poor fitting tree, or bad girth location, or even misfit rider, we have a sour horse that does not want to work with us. When we take these fit issues away, there is a process the horse has to go through to be completely healed and more at peace. In the past we have tacked the horse up, forced him to do his job, and largely ignored his pleas for help. Clues can include sour girthing, squirrely movements when tacking up, and aggressive behaviors under saddle like bucking and head tossing. Most times you know you are having a problem, and you come to us with the reason why you are making a change. Chances are you have violated you horse's trust on some level. It might be a huge violation like a saddle too long for his back, or a small violation like the girth positioned too far back causing bruising and sores under his belly. Whatever the issues were, when you make a change the horse will access his new situation. He will be cautions. He will gradually speed up and lengthen his stride and he tests his range of motion looking for the place where it hurts. When he doesn't find interference you will notice you can't keep him on a straight line. His back will be unlocked and free and it will seem like it takes all your body parts to keep him contained. He will be a ball of fire and full of enthusiasm.

In a few rides, he will settle back down to his normal "happy" and will not be quite so excited. When customers come back to us and say it's the toughest ride they have had in some times, we are actually quite pleased. We know this is part of the process. It will take time for some of the learned behaviors to go away, but they will diminish fi we have truly corrected to root cause of the problem. Remember when we move the weight of the rider into a different place on the horse's back we are changing all their learned balance points, changing the muscles that carry that weight, and engage their back more than we had in the past. They are going to need a few rides to get used to the new weight distribution. The rider too will find that they are more balanced on the horse, and they will experience changes in their "typical" position. Everybody will need a couple rides to get comfortable with the changes.

WHAT TO BRING WHEN YOU SHOP.

Saddle fittings in the store from horse information:

(approximate time needed: 1-2 hours)

RIDER:

You are going to be fitted for a saddle, so we are going to sit you on many saddles and evaluate your equitation and assess how well you are fitting. If we can't see you thigh, pelvis, or lower back we can't properly evaluate fit. Make sure you are wearing clothing appropriate for sitting on saddles that allows your salesperson to see your body positioning. Bring or wear your typical riding boots as many dress shoes don't have the same profile along the sole and can cause problems when you try to drop your weight into your heel on the saddle fitting stand.

HORSE:

Please measure your horse in advance. This will avoid extra tips back and forth with saddles that may not be right, and will really shorten the time it takes to find you a good option for you mount. Two things help us more than anything else.

A tracing of the withers. Bend a wire two inches behind the shoulder blade, and trace it on a piece of paper. Try to make left or right on the tracing. It will help us to know which half of the wire was on a specific shoulder of the horse for later. We recommend you use copper electrical wire, or lead solder wire, or an art flexi-curve. Coat hangers don't bend well, and are not accurate. Try to find something more soft and flexible. Bring a marker and a paper bag to the barn with you. When you bend the wire over his back, trace it right away on the bag. If you bring the wire to the store, they are almost always distorted to the point we can't use them. To save time, and avoid doing the tracing again please trace your wire when you take the measurement.

Bring a few good photos of your horse. We need two or three good photos of your horse from the side. We would like to see both sides of your horse. We need his head up, and he must be standing on a reasonably level surface. He has to be naked; we can't see thorough blankets or saddles. We also like to have one good shot from behind. If you stand on a mounting block or stool about three feet behind your horse, look down and take shot focusing on his wither.

You are welcome to bring as much information as you like. We will evaluate everything you bring for us. Photos can be emailed in advance. Some customers want to bring us saddles that fit their horse well, and ask us to use that as a reference. Another saddle can offer us some clues, bit is it no substitute for a good withers tracing and photo group.

Saddle fittings when the horse has an appointment to be fitted:

(approximate time required 2-4 hours)

Please bring the items a responsible owner would normally provide to care for their horse while traveling such as hay bags with extra hay, fly spray, water bucket, and a poop cleanup kit. You may also want to plan for your horse being nervous while at the store with items such as a lead shank with a chain, and lunge line, and a lunge whip.

During our fittings we try to pull from all items that you own first. This gives us an opportunity to evaluate the tack you are using daily for potential culprits that might be adding to the saddle fit issues. It also gives us a chance to see that the complete package of all your pieces will be working well together. Sometimes changes to saddles will require a different length firth, or change to a pad. Toss into the trailer the groups of items that you would like us to pull from such as pads, girths, and other accessories. You don't have to clean them, we can see through dirt. What matters is making sure the horse has what the needs to be comfortable. During fittings we will often find simple stakes like bits on backwards, leather straps about to break, and dirty pad issues that are causing rubbing or fungus problems so this process can function as a good safety check as well.

We know that when you travel with horses timing is hard to judge. You don't need to call if you won't be on times. You may be a half hour early or an hour late, and we know that in advance. Try to make appointment time, but only notify us if you are not going to make it at all.

Our parking lot is large and can be accommodate the largest trailers easily. We have two driveways so you can pull in and never have to back up to leave. Half the parking lot is paved, and half is gravel so we recommend that you pull to the back of the building and park on the gravel area. We will typically work form the rear overhead door behind the shop. Please try to keep the horses off the landscaped lawn areas, and park you trailers so they are standing on the gravel areas. Horse trailers always have the right of way at our shop, so many of our professional partners like UPS and FedEx drivers are very considerate of you animals. You are allowed to stop and park where ever you are comfortable, even at the expense of blocking a car or driveway entrance. We do ask that you clean up manure and excess hay when your fitting is completed, and you are welcome to dispose of any waste in our dumpsters.

Your horse will be held or tied to a trailer in an uncontained area while we are fitting. If your horse does not load safely, or if he can't be tied or stand in a trailer let us know in advance so we can help you plan for potential safety hazards. We always recommend you bring an extra person for every horse in the trailer. Please remember you are coming to us for a saddle fitting, not training. Our staff is not expected to help you with trailer loading or horses that have not been exposed to saddles or pads.

Our facility is first and foremost a retail store. We are not a riding stable nor do we have an arena at our store. For this reason we do not allow customers to ride their horses on our property. This is a liability we are not insured for, and we do not consider it a safe or prudent decision on your part. Your horse is going to need an honest test ride, and we recommend you only change on major component of you ride to access this accurately. Please try to offer the horse a familiar riding area for when you test fit and test ride, an organized trail ride, clinic or retail setting like ours is not the place for this to happen successfully.

BASICS OF SADDLE FIT.

It does not matter if we are fitting for english or western saddles; the basic concepts are the same. Regardless of the discipline we always have the same order of fitting to consider. Buy for the intended purpose first, buy for the fit of the horse second, and buy for the rider third.

The intended purpose is important so we have the features you need to build into the basic purpose of the saddle. If you wanted to rope, buy a flex tree trail saddle you will break the tree on the first throw of the rope and likely damage your horses back in the process, it won't hold up. In the same fashion dressage saddles made for work on the flat that will make it extremely hard for a rider to jump at any height and will create a situation where your poor equitation position creates bad jumping form and habits from your horse. Intended purpose is the logical starting place to purchase primary features.

Next we have to consider the shape of the horse, the fit for the rider, and make sure the two are compatible so horse and rider can function as a team.

Three major points of the horse need to be evaluated:

Width of the back

Shape along the length of spine

Location of the girth

Width of back. We have to measure a horse to know definitely if he is narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide. Creating a template by bending a wire over the horses back and tracing it is the best way to help relay this information to us. We will draw some measurements from this data, and use that as a starting point for what tree size is required.
*width graphics Side note about measuring saddle trees: there is no standard nomenclature in the equine industry to convey accurate tree size.

There are two components to tree size that have to be considered. One is the angle of the bars or tree points, and two is the width of the gullet. As the angle gets wider the tree fits wider. As the gullets gets wider, the saddle will sit lower and fit wider as well. Combinations of narrow gullet width with wide bar angle will fit very different from wide bar width and wide bar angle. Every tree manufacturer has their own proprietary shape, and every company fits very differently. One company may call their wide bar angle a "wide" saddle, where the next company may choose to call it "Arabian" with the exact same dimensions. Two companies "gaited" trees may have very different measurements, yet neither is wrong. In the same fashion, your quarter horse and your neighbor's quarter horse are not likely to be the exact same size and shape. Don't trust the name to convey an accurate shape. You have to rely on the expertise of your salesperson to compare between brands and models and help you wade through the differences in fit. You can only measure saddle trees when the trees are raw, naked, and not yet installed into a saddle. Measuring the finished product will give you much different numbers. English saddles are measured between the width of the tree points. Note that different models will have different lengths of tree point. Dressage is very long, but close contact saddles have the shortest tee point. You can only compare with dimensions between like styled saddles.

Shape along the spine. *graphics Some horses will have a straight and level back. some have a sway back shape. Others will have a downhill slide with fairly high withers at the bottom, creating a check shape. Your horse can only be comfortable if we match the curve of his spine to the curvature of the saddle foundation. Picture yourself standing in a bowl. Your foot is not supported in the middle, and this is painful. If we put you in thick heavy socks it will fill in some of the void, but it still does not fix the root cause of the problem. We need to change the shape of the tree to fit the horse's spine. You can't make significant changes with pads. Selecting the shape for the spine is as important as the width.

Location of the girth. The horses bone structure will put the tree in a place where it wants to sit naturally. For some horses it is really forward, for others it seems really far back. Based on where this tree will sit best we often have to change the girth location so that the tree is pulled straight down onto the horse's back. If the girth pulls to forward on the tree it will make the back of the saddle pop up. If we pull down too far back it will "walk" the saddle forward onto the neck as he moves. Your girth needs to be perfectly vertical, straight up and down. You don't want to see any angle or pull from either direction. If you have a girth sitting on an angle, some saddles are adjustable so this can be created. *graphic English saddles often have three billets, and on modern saddles all three are safe to use and you can choose any combination that suits your horse. Some western saddles have a rigging riveted into the skirt with two rings. *graphic This actually gives you three options for girth placement; all in the front ring, all in the back ring, or the latigo separated half in each ring creating a "v" shape that distributes the pressure half on each essentially creating a third ring in the middle. Girth location is just as important as tree fit, because you can take the best fitting tree and distort the pressures by pulling down into and unbalanced place.

Once we have the width, curve, and girth location fitted we have a few other things to consider. When the horse is standing on the flat level surface is the saddle level for the rider? We also have to check the overall length of the tree and pads to make certain that they will not interfere with the horse's natural movements. At this point we are well on our way to accomplishing a great fit for the horse.

Now it's time to fit the rider. Because the rider can speak, this is much easier than fitting the horse! But with that said, the horse will only be as good as the quality of the rider driving his motion. Complete saddle fitting has to include the rider, and make adjustments so that horse and rider as a team work flawlessly together.

For riders we focus primarily on the region of lower back and pelvis, as well as placement of the legs. When we know the discipline we will fit the rider to the proper equitation position taking into consideration their training level, the horse ability, and any personal physical challenges of the rider such as pack problems. First we try to determine the shape of seat the riders body type prefers. For some riders they like a deep bowl they can sit in. For other riders, the wide flat seat pan is much more comfortable. This is determined by where the seat bones hit the saddle. Some riders have their seat bones really far forward, and others find their seat bones hit the seat pan further back. This is completely determined by your pelvis, and how your legs tie into your pelvis. Some people have a tall pelvis and can tolerate a high back saddle. Others with a short pelvis find the higher seat backs push on the vertebra of their lower back. Some people have a wide spacing between their legs and others find their set really close together. This will determine the width of the twist you prefer. We will try different widths of twist and seat until we find a comfortable twist that holds you back in the saddle in a supportive way. We will figure out if you need a flat or deep seat. We will look for a cantle shape that supports your pelvis and holds it vertical so that the small of your back is straight and relaxed. Next we will address the riders' legs and the location of the stirrup. If we put your stirrup too far in front of your leg you will be reaching forward and sitting in a chair seat. To correct this problem you will physically have to pull the stirrup back with your lower leg and rely on your muscles to keep the stirrup underneath you, but every time you push down your heel and lower leg will swing forward indicating a problem. If we can find a saddle with the stirrup positioned further back you will not be fighting the equipment to keep your leg in a good equitation form, and your riding will feel much more natural without the pain in your knees and ankles. Likewise a stirrup too far back will pitch you forward onto the neck regardless of how well the horse moves. Stirrup location can make or break the saddle fit for the rider regardless of how comfortable the seat is!

Once we find a good fit for the horses, and a good base of support for the rider we now have to consider the two working together as a team. The horse's center of gravity needs to have the rider's center positioned directly above it. If the rider sits in the perfect position, but is several inches too far back on the horse it will feel as though they are "dragged" when they are riding. they will not be able to react to horse movements and will find it nearly impossible to ride through transitions. Your actions will be delayed because they happen after the horse's movement took place. You are reacting, rather than being proactive. Picture yourself coming into a jump. If you are too far back on the horse, he will take off and jerk you up and over the fence. Landing you will slam his back, and nearly come off when he pushes away from the fence with his hind end dropping down and lurching forward again. Now picture yourself coming into the same fence in the two point position putting you just head of his center of gravity. He will lift and push you ahead of him over the fence and as he trusts forward your center of gravity will become realigned and you will be together over the fence, and into the landing. In control, and much more considerate of the horse's physical requirements needed to perform well.

A good fit is only achieved if all facets of the horse and rider have been considered and met. It can be lengthy and difficult process, but with professional guidance it can be achieved in a systematic format.

SIGNS OF A GOOD FIT, AND SIGNS OF A POOR FIT.

Signs of a poor fit.

Horses are honest creatures. They don't hold a grudge, and they rarely act out unless provoked. Domestic horses are asked to deal with man-made burdens, and they don't have the option to tell us what they feel about a lot of things. When you learn to listen, they talk to us all the time. What we do with these whispers determines how dedicated we are as horseman. Horses will respond to negative pressures and scary situation in lots of different ways. Related to poor saddle fit, there are several that seem to be standard reactions for a horse. We will list several for you here, but be attentive and listen to see what your horse is telling you that might be his own personal script for speaking to you.

When the horse is tied and waiting for you to put the saddle on he bites at you, or dances around to make it hard for you to place the saddle up on his back. He might be telling you this is about to hurt, and he wants no part of it. He might be saying that you whack him in the ribs with this 50 pound saddle because you can't lift and place it comfortably on him. He might be lame, sore or tired and not be interested in riding at all. Maybe you get nervous before a ride and he's reading your nervous behavior.

When you go to tighten the girth, he behaves badly. Kicking, biting, lying down, squealing, sucking wind, biting at the lead rope or cross ties. You name it; they will try it to get their point across. Something about his saddle or girthing process does not end well for them. They might be pointing to the saddle, when it is pulled down on their back they feel the pressure points right away. Maybe it is the girth, either the placement or design of the girth. Make sure the ends of the girth are not pinching him or twisting to create strong pressure points where the hardware rubs on his skin. Check under his belly for sores, braised skin, and fungal infections. Make sure his elbow and swing back are not push the girth rolling the edges.

Under saddle the horse may have some behaviors that can be caused all or in part by poor fitting saddles. Frequently stretching their head and neck down to release pressures on the shoulder. Holding head high and hollowing out the back to avoid the tree digging into spine and loins. Going on the bit then propping out and pulling forward abruptly. Inability to gracefully move up to the next gait, like trotting really fast for a long time before breaking into a canter. Wringing the tail while working. Trouble backing up. In some cases, seriously one sided horses that only have control one direction or show problems bending in the circle. Holding their head to one side. Bucking, crow hopping and kicking out under saddle are all pretty serious sign.

Riders misfitted will experience things like leaning forward with their shoulders, legs moving all over, tossing all over the saddle, sore crotch or sore seat bones, and back/knees/ankles aching.

Finished horses whose riders are not will fitted will run into problems with staying on the bit, and not coming through from behind. When a horse tries to raise his back and motor forward a misfit rider (or a poor fitting saddle) can cause the horse to hit pressure with his back and immediately hollow and drop out of it. They have lots of trouble with lateral movements, and transitions with grace and collection are nearly impossible.

Signs of a good fit

Sometimes negative behaviors can be good signs of a good fit. Understanding the difference can make all of the difference in how you will ride your horse, and the aids you will use.

If your horse does not easily go forward in a straight line. Saddle trees can act like a body cast on your horses back, and when you are tight and poor shape the horse will learn not to bend his top line. When they try to bend, it hurts and they are penalized for being supple. So they learn to guard their movements and move stiff and rigid. If we open up the saddle gullet and fit them well, they are all of a sudden unlocked. They will wiggle and bend and wander all over. The rider will need to learn to add leg pressure to guide the horse forward. Bending should become much easier, and lateral movements are easier to achieve.

Long sweeping gaits that seem way too fast and pop you up out of the saddle. Trees can easily interfere with the shoulder blade naturally sliding back into the saddle area. Plus some short backed horses' hips moving forward can shove the saddle forward, also jabbing the shoulder. If the tree and shoulder blade touch each other, the horse learns that a long swinging stride hurts my shoulders. I better now swing my legs that far out. If we take that interference away, the horse will reach further and further trying to find interference. When he does not find a problem, he will be comfortable moving out as far as you ask him to. When he covers more ground he seems to move faster, but in reality it is just more efficient. This longer sweeping stride will allow better movement of the spine and pelvis, causing a bit more up and down movement pushing the rider up and out of the saddle. If you have not learned to have a soft supple lower back and independent use of your lower legs you won't have the ability to absorb the motion without dislodging your seat.

Steady, balanced, almost motionless rider. The horse's back will move like a boat floating over waves. It will move like a children's see-saw back and forth, while simultaneously moving up and down. The compound movements will be minimized if a saddle fits horse and rider well. If you are not balanced on your horse you will be thrown back and forth pretty violently. You won't have any control over the movements. You will lean forward to avoid reacting in a way that might cause you to fall off the side or back. Your legs will be swinging all over the place, and you are helpless to stabilize them. you also have delaying reactions to the horse's movements, so you always feel like you are along for the ride rather than driving the bus. When we correct this, and you are finally balanced on your horse riding gets really easy like your just flipped a switch. All of a sudden, you don't have to squeeze to stay on. All of a sudden, your legs don't move at all. When you try to go stand in the two point position you can just think about it and you start to rise in the saddle. You can feel the diagonals easier, and actually use this timing to you advantage. If a horse can feel a fly land on one hair and shake that one muscle to respond, you too can have an extremely quiet seat and still be able to speak to your horse with the tiniest of movements from your body. The key is balance!

Saddle stays low and tight to the horse's back when lunging. We've all seen a horse lunging with a saddle flopping up and down getting pretty far off the horse's back. If a saddle fits a horse well it will look like and extension of the horse's own flesh. Quiet, low and moving with the motion of the horse.

Dry Spots

We get asked a lot about dry spots and what they mean. When a saddle tree is too tight, and it puts too much pressure on a horse's back the horses sweat glands can be pressed so hard that they can't even sweat. Normally the horse's back will be completely wet from sweat, with just two round dry spots next to the withers and in line with the girth. But dry spots can also show signs of bridging too. If a tree is touching in the front and back, but not in the middle you can get enough air flow under the pad to dry the center section not touching at all. These dry spots will be further back, closer to the center of the saddle. One caution about dry spots. Not all horses have sweat glands on their back. And not all sweat glands are evenly spaced all along the sides of the back. Some horses only have them in a few areas of the back or just on one side. I would suggest that an even sweat pattern on both sides is a good sign, and likely a good fit. I would not rely on dry spots in a sweat pattern as a pass/fail test for saddle fitting. There are several other rules that need to be addressed long before sweat patterns would be addressed. This is not a reliable test, and should be used as just one clue in many pieces of information that you will gather to assess fit.